More than a billion Yahoo users may have been hacked in an attack dating back to 2013. This is deemed to be the largest data breach in history.
It stands as a further embarrassment to a company that was once one of the biggest names on the internet, but one which has failed to keep up with the rising stars such as Google and Facebook.
Yahoo advised that names, phone numbers, passwords and email addresses had been stolen but assured users that no bank and payment data had been taken.
Those account users affected should have received notification by Yahoo, however, all users are urged to change their password and security questions.
This recent attack serves as a timely reminder to continually renew and update passwords.
Points worth consideration:
– Don’t re-use Passwords. Research suggests that at least 62% of people in the UK use the same password for more than one account
– Remember to change security passwords too. Your mother’s maiden name and the name of your first pet doesn’t change, so time to change those questions instead!
– Abandoned accounts are filled with personal data. You may not have used the accounts in years, but hackers can still gain valuable personal data from these sources too
